Reduced intensity conditioning with thiotepa, fludarabine and melphalan for allogeneic transplantation in multiple myeloma.

The reduced intensity conditioning regimen described is feasible, well tolerated in heavily pre-treated patiens. An objective response was obtained in 80% of the patients, 30% achieved a complete response

Isolation of NDM-1-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa sequence type ST235 from a stem cell transplant patient in Italy, May 2013

We describe the first isolation of an NDM-1-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Italy. In May 2013, a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and history of prior hospitalisation in Belgrad, Serbia, underwent stem cell transplantation at a tertiary care hospital in Rome, Italy. After transplantion, sepsis by NDM-1-producing P. aeruginosa occurred, leading to septic shock and fatal outcome

Incidence and Outcome of Invasive Fungal Diseases after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Prospective Study of the Gruppo Italiano Trapianto Midollo Osseo (GITMO).

AbstractEpidemiologic investigation of invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) may be useful to identify subpopulations who might benefit from targeted treatment strategies. The Gruppo Italiano Trapianto Midollo Osseo (GITMO) prospectively registered data on 1858 consecutive patients undergoing allo-HSCT between 2008 and 2010. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for proven/probable IFD (PP-IFD) during the early (days 0 to 40), late (days 41 to 100), and very late (days 101 to 365) phases after allo-HSCT and to evaluate the impact of PP-IFDs on 1-year overall survival. The cumulative incidence of PP-IFDs was 5.1% at 40 days, 6.7% at 100 days, and 8.8% at 12 months post-transplantation. Multivariate analysis identified the following variables as associated with PP-IFDs: transplant from an unrelated volunteer donor or cord blood, active acute leukemia at the time of transplantation, and an IFD before transplantation in the early phase; transplant from an unrelated volunteer donor or cord blood and grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in the late phase; and grade II-IV acute GVHD and extensive chronic GVHD in the very late phase. The risk for PP-IFD was significantly higher when acute GVHD was followed by chronic GVHD and when acute GVHD occurred in patients undergoing transplantation with grafts from other than matched related donors. The presence of PP-IFD was an independent factor in long-term survival (hazard ratio, 2.90; 95% confidence interval, 2.32 to 3.62; P < .0001). Our findings indicate that tailored prevention strategies may be useful in subpopulations at differing levels of risk for PP-IFDs

Peripheral blood stem cells for allogeneic transplantation. Recommendations from the GITMO 1996. Gruppo Italiano Trapianti di Midollo Osseo.

Allogeneic transplants with PBSC are rapidly expanding, but a number of problems concerning both donors and recipients are still unsolved. GITMO (Italian Bone Marrow Transplant Group) has established a committee for allogeneic PBSC transplants. We present here an analysis of the main aspects of this evolving area and suggest revised guidelines for the use of allogeneic PBSC transplantation

Determinazione del fattore di correlazione di Kirkwood da misure di permittività dielettrica e di assorbimento FTIR per lo studfio di meccanismi di crescita inliquidi associati

A detailed vibrational and permettivity study, performed on associated liquids (alcohols) “dispersed” in $CCl_4$, is presented. The experimentally obtained data, taken at a concentration limit as low as l0^-^3M allow to explain the growth mechanism present in such systems (normal-pentanol and 2-methyl-2-butanol), starting from the monomeric state up to oligomers, by increasing the concentration values. Furthermore the behavior of the measured Kirkwood correlation factor $g_k$ indicates that the cychc speeies ($g_k < 1$) are the first existing aggregates, independently from the systems. The interaction among the monomers induces anharmonic effects into the original $o-H$ stretching, lowering the center frequencies and enlarging the linewidths. When the concentration increases the more hindered alcohol (2M-2BuOH) reveals mainly the existence of cyclic dimers ($g_k$ < 1), whereas a growth process of linear $n$-mers is evidenciated for the linear normal-pentanol width a simultaneous disappearance of the cyclic structures

New insights into the structure and function of the prokaryotic communities colonizing plastic debris collected in King George Island (Antarctica): Preliminary observations from two plastic fragments

In Antarctic regions, the composition and metabolic activity of microbial assemblages associated with plastic debris (“plastisphere”) are almost unknown. A macroplastic item from land (MaL, 30 cm) and a mesoplastic from the sea (MeS, 4 mm) were collected in Maxwell Bay (King George Island, South Shetland) and analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance geometry (FTIR-ATR), which confirmed a polystyrene foam and a composite high-density polyethylene composition for MaL and MeS, respectively. The structure and function of the two plastic-associated prokaryotic communities were studied by complementary 16S ribosomal RNA gene clone libraries, total bacterioplankton and culturable heterotrophic bacterial counts, enzymatic activities of the whole community and enzymatic profiles of bacterial isolates. Results showed that Gamma- and Betaproteobacteria (31% and 28%, respectively) dominated in MeS, while Beta- and Alphaproteobacteria (21% and 13%, respectively) in MaL. Sequences related to oil degrading bacteria (Alcanivorax,Marinobacter) confirmed the known anthropogenic pressure in King George Island. This investigation on plastic-associated prokaryotic structure and function represents the first attempt to characterize the ecological role of plastisphere in this Antarctic region and provides the necessary background for future research on the significance of polymer type, surface characteristics and environmental conditions in shaping the plastisphere